John Pippy (born December 12, 1970 in
Ubon Ratchathani
Ubon Ratchathani ( th, อุบลราชธานี, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan (with Khorat/Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen), also known as the "big four of Isan." The city is on the Mun River in the south ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
) is an American politician and
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
from the U.S. State of
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. A member of the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
, he served in the
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...
from 2003 to 2012 and the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
from 1997 to 2003.
Personal
Pippy was born in Thailand on a United States Air Force Base to Pensri and Jack Pippy and first entered the United States at the age of one. His mother is from Thailand and his father was in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
. Initially after returning, the family lived in public housing in Boston.
Pippy is a graduate of the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
at
West Point, New York
West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...
with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
degree in environmental engineering.
After graduation, he served on active duty, assigned to the
1st Cavalry Division at
Fort Hood
Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. After leaving active duty, he joined the
Pennsylvania National Guard
The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia.
With more than 18,000 per ...
where he holds the rank of lieutenant colonel. He returned to active duty in 2003-2004 after his unit was called up to serve during the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
.
He lives in
Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Moon Township is a township along the Ohio River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Moon is a part of the Greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area and is located northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 27,261 at the 2020 census.
History ...
with his wife, Kathy, a political operative and lobbyist. His daughter
Katelyn had a recurring role on the television drama
Army Wives
''Army Wives'' is an American drama television series that followed the lives of four army wives, one army husband, and their families. The series premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007, and ran for seven seasons, ending on June 9, 2013. The sh ...
and played hockey for the
Cornell Big Red women's ice hockey
The Cornell Big Red women's ice hockey program represents Cornell University and participates in Division I collegiate hockey in the ECAC Hockey conference. They play at the Lynah Rink in Ithaca, New York.
The Ivy League announced in July 2 ...
program at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
.
Political career
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pippy was elected to the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
in 1996, defeating Democrat Andrew McGraw.
Prior to the 1998 elections, Democrats threatened to challenge his residency in an effort to prevent his candidacy for re-election. Their challenge was based on a clause in the
Pennsylvania Constitution
The Constitution of Pennsylvania is the supreme law within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. All acts of the General Assembly, the governor, and each governmental agency are subordinate to it. Since 1776, Pennsylvania's Constitution has undergone ...
requiring candidates for the
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
Specific examples of general assembly include:
Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
to swear that they have been residents of the state for at least four years. Democrats claimed that Pippy was ineligible as he had been on active duty in Texas, was registered to vote in Texas and held a Texas drivers license. Pippy countered that because he was on active duty service, his absence fell under the "public business" exemption under the state constitution. The challenge was defused when the Assembly passed a bill which Governor
Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. ...
signed into law deleting the residency provisions from the candidate affidavit.
[''Residency affidavit pitched by GOP in a typical Harrisburg political ploy'', Pittsburgh Business Times, February 20, 1998]
/ref>
Despite the controversy, Pippy won re-election in 1998 and was unopposed in 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
and 2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
.
Pennsylvania State Senate
In a 2002 PoliticsPA
PoliticsPA.com is a website centered on the politics of Pennsylvania.
Content
The website reports on political and campaign news in Pennsylvania, from the state legislature up to federal races. The editors write occasional features, like the we ...
Feature story
A feature story is a piece of non-fiction writing about news. A feature story is a type of soft news. The main sub-types are the ''news feature'' and the ''human-interest story''.
A feature story is distinguished from other types of non-news ...
designating politicians with yearbook superlatives, he was named "Most Athletic."
In 2003, State Senator Tim Murphy resigned to take a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
and Pippy announced his candidacy for the seat. However, shortly after announcing his candidacy, Pippy's unit was called to active duty. This could have potentially derailed his candidacy due to military rules that do not allow active duty soldiers to actively engage in politics.[ James O'Toolebr>"Army says Pippy can stay in race", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', February 15, 2003]
/ref>
Pippy initially received a ruling from the Army Reserve headquarters which barred his candidacy. However, after intervention from Rep. Murphy, Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz
Paul Dundes Wolfowitz (born December 22, 1943) is an American political scientist and diplomat who served as the 10th President of the World Bank, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, and former dean of Johns Hopkins SA ...
issued a waiver allowing Pippy to remain on the ballot. He was, however, stilled barred from campaigning for himself or exercising any duties of his office, should he win.[
Pippy did win the race with 67% of the vote over Democrat Paul Gitnik, but was in ]Aberdeen, Maryland
Aberdeen is a city located in Harford County, Maryland, United States, northeast of Baltimore. The population was 16,254 at the 2020 United States Census. Aberdeen is the largest municipality in Harford County.
Aberdeen is part of the Baltimor ...
with his unit preparing for deployment. Pippy was able to return to Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...
on a one-day pass in order to take his oath of office, but was required to return to active duty immediately afterward.
Pippy returned home from Iraq in January, 2004 and resumed his service in the Senate. That fall, he ran for re-election, prevailing over Gianni Floro with 67% of the vote. Floro was named the Democratic candidate after Ernest Simon dropped out of the race in August 2004, effectively leaving Floro with two months to ramp-up a campaign.
Pippy was Chairman of the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee; Chairman of the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee; Vice Chairman of the Law and Justice Committee; and a member of the Appropriations, Banking and Insurance, Transportation and Game and Fisheries committees. He is a member of the Advisory Boards for Penn State Beaver
Penn State Beaver is a commonwealth campus of Pennsylvania State University located in Center Township in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
Campus history
The land where the campus now exists was once a farm owned by the Hartenbach family. The barn ...
, the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
The UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (Hillman), previously titled the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center located in the Hillman Cancer Center in the Shadyside n ...
, the Board of Directors for the Greater Pittsburgh Council/Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
, and the Board of Directors for the Heinz History Center
The Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the largest history museum in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. Named after U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III (1938–1991) from Pennsy ...
. He was formerly the chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council's Homeland Security
Homeland security is an American national security term for "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" to ...
Task Force.
He considered a race for Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
in 2005, but eventually stayed out of the race.
Shortly after the Pennsylvania legislature
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...
approved the state budget for the following fiscal year
A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...
, Pippy resigned from his state senate seat at 11:59 PM EDT on June 30, 2012, leaving the seat vacant until the election that November. Businessman D. Raja won a three-way Republican primary to run for the seat on April 24, 2012, but lost to Democrat Matt Smith
Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as the Eleventh Doctor, eleventh incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the BBC series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Daemon Targarye ...
in the general election.
Since his resignation he has been President of the Pennsylvania Coal Association. In 2017 he received as Masters in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.
Electoral history
2008 General Election, Pennsylvania Senate, District 37
Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 includes part of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is currently represented by Republican Party (United States), Republican Devlin Robinson.
District profile
The district includes the follo ...
*John Pippy - 79,980, 64.8%
*Amy Jude Schmotzer - 34,391, 35.2%
2004 General Election, Pennsylvania Senate, District 37
Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 includes part of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is currently represented by Republican Party (United States), Republican Devlin Robinson.
District profile
The district includes the follo ...
*John Pippy - 88,306, 67.8%
*Gianni Floro - 41,954, 32.2%
2003 Special Election, Pennsylvania Senate, District 37
Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 includes part of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is currently represented by Republican Party (United States), Republican Devlin Robinson.
District profile
The district includes the follo ...
*John Pippy - 24,798, 67.6%
*Paul Gitnik - 11,892 32.4%
2002 General Election, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 44
The 44th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in southwest Pennsylvania and has been represented since 2019 by Valerie Gaydos.
District profile
The 44th District is located in Allegheny County and includes the following ...
*John Pippy - 13,431, 100.0%
2000 General Election, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 44
The 44th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in southwest Pennsylvania and has been represented since 2019 by Valerie Gaydos.
District profile
The 44th District is located in Allegheny County and includes the following ...
*John Pippy - 25,494 100.0%
1998 General Election, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 44
The 44th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in southwest Pennsylvania and has been represented since 2019 by Valerie Gaydos.
District profile
The 44th District is located in Allegheny County and includes the following ...
*John Pippy - 10,216, 61.96%
*Thomas J. Fullard III - 6,273, 38.04%
1996 General Election, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 44
The 44th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in southwest Pennsylvania and has been represented since 2019 by Valerie Gaydos.
District profile
The 44th District is located in Allegheny County and includes the following ...
*John Pippy - 12,961, 57.12%
*Andrew J. McGraw - 9,730, 42.88%
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pippy, John R.
1970 births
Living people
Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Asian-American people in Pennsylvania politics
Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators
People from Moon Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Thai emigrants to the United States
United States Military Academy alumni
National Guard (United States) officers
Pennsylvania National Guard personnel
Asian conservatism in the United States